Aquila 2.0, an open-source cross-platform software architecture for cognitive robotics that makes use of independent heterogeneous CPU-GPU modules with loosely coupled dynamically generated graphical user interfaces.

1. Martin Peniak, Anthony Morse and Angelo Cangelosi
Aquila 2.0
Software Architecture for Cognitive Robotics

2. Application Code
+
GPU CPU
Use GPU to Parallelise
Compute-Intensive Functions
Rest of Sequential
CPU Code
Heterogeneous computing
Host
Device

3. Heterogeneous computing
in cognitive robotics

4. Heterogeneous software architecture for the development of
modules loosely coupled to their graphical user interfaces
Provides simple and user friendly GUI client
Distribute, control and visualise existing modules
Generate new modules
Monitor connected server
Tools
Modules
Run heterogeneous CPU-GPU code doing the actual work
What is Aquila?

5. Developed in C++ and CUDA
Cross-platform
Linux
OSX
Windows
Dependencies
Qt
YARP
CUDA
What is Aquila?

6. YARP
messages
YARP Interface
Interface.cpp
GPU
Kernels
kernels.cu
Main Thread
moduleName.cpp
GPUCPU
YARP Interface
moduleNameInterface.cpp
Module Settings GUI
Implementation
moduleNameSettings.cpp
Module GUI
Implementation
modulename.cpp
Module GUI
Design
moduleName.ui
Module Settings GUI
Design
moduleNameSettings.ui
Tab 1
Name: moduleName
Instance: instanceID
Server: serverID
Tab 2 Tab N
AquilaGUIAquilaModuleGUIinTab1AquilaModule YARP
messages
YARP
messages
Othermodules

7. Classes
Visualtisation of image data (e.g from iCub)
2D and 3D plots
Node graph
Libraries
liqaquila-nnet
Self-organising maps
Echo-state networks
Multiple time-scales recurrent neural network
libaquila-image
Segmentation and object tracking
libaquila-utility
GPU handling, maths, message passing
libaquila-icub
iCub motor control (currently implements head-eye movement to pixel position)
Existing Aquila Ecosystem

8. Existing Aquila Ecosystem
SOM
Self-organising Map
ERA
Epigenetic Robotics Architecture
Tracker
Object tracking
MTRNN
Multiple Time-scales Recurrent Neural Network
0.0
20.0
40.0
60.0
264 1032 2056 4104
Speed-up
Neurons
MTRNN Benchmark Example
2xGTX580(P2P) vs 8 core Intel Xeon
ESN
Echo State Networks

9. i3
i5
i7
CPUGPU
Thank
You